By Robert Manyara
Busia County, Kenya: Bunyala rice farmers recently received a boost after Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Hon Peter Munya launched the pilot agro mechanization hub for a three-year incubation period.
Flanked by Busia Deputy Governor HE Moses Mulomi and officials from the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Agribusiness led by County Executive Committee Member Dr. Moses Osia, at St Joseph’s Busagwa Primary School on Friday, the CS said mechanization is the way to go in bridging rice deficit gap that currently stands at 986,000 metric tonnes.
“Kenya has been forced to import rice from Pakistan and other countries to meet the shortfall. It’s for this reason that the Government is implementing sustainable agricultural intensification, mechanization, expansion, and marketing strategies to bridge the gap,” he said.
Hon Munya who handed over agricultural machinery to Bunyala Cooperative Society Mechanization Hub that included three pre-planters and three combine harvesters, said the Government will expand opportunities to increase land under rice production in the region by 11,000 acres, noting that this will feed the entire region.
Deputy Governor HE Moses Mulomi lauded rice farmers for the tremendous improvement in production this season from the normal average of 20 bags to about 40 bags per acre, noting that this is attributed to mechanization.
The DG noted that value addition in both rice and fisheries is critical, adding that he will be a happy man to see Busia rice packaged in Bunyala and availed in local supermarkets across the county with by-products used in the production of feeds and other products.
On request by Agriculture Executive, Dr. Moses Osia for the Ministry engineers to facilitate installation of a rice milling plant that was donated by the Venezuela Government through FAO and the Ministry, the CS ordered Engineering Secretary in the Ministry Eng. Richard Kanui to commence the installation process with immediate effect.
Dr. Osia called for collaboration and co-operation with the staff from the Ministry especially in planning for such meetings, adding it was for that reason that there were very few exhibitors from Busia County during the event that drew exhibitors from Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, and Siaya counties.
The chairman, Bunyala Rice Farmers Cooperative Society, Robert Musolo lauded the CS for identifying the Sacco as an Agri-Huduma, noting that the move will go a long way in improving rice production in the region through the use of mechanization and modern technology.
He said with increased membership from 301 in 2019 to 630 currently, the Society is in the process of establishing a Co-op jirani bank agency to enhance the culture of saving.
